India will become self-reliant only when farmers adopt innovations, new techniques and trends in agriculture to ensure maximum production from minimum land and investment, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Tuesday.

Birla, along with Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary, inaugurated a two-day agriculture fair and exhibition at the Dusshera Ground in Kota. The Lok Sabha speaker said farmers are the backbone of India's economy and brought in the green revolution to make the country the highest producer of wheat in the world. The focus should now be laid on the white revolution in the form of milk production and animal husbandry, aided by modern innovations and techniques, he said.

"It is the power of farmers (annadata) that they did not allow any shortage of wheat during the coronavirus pandemic when production had dropped in every sector," he said. During the pandemic, the Narendra Modi government distributed free wheat to 80 crore people and it was possible because of farmers, he said. India will become self-reliant only when farmers adopt innovations, new techniques and trends in agriculture to ensure maximum production from minimum land and investment and sell the produce in the international market, Birla said.?

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Choudhary urged the youth to take up farming as profession.? It is the responsibility of every government -- central as well as state - to help farmers as the country cannot be prosperous unless farmers are prosperous, the minister said. Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Lalchand Kataria and Cooperative Minister Uday Lal Anjana attended the function. More than 75 start-ups on agriculture and farming took part in the fair-cum-exhibition.